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Friday, October 31, 2014

Farewell then my washing machine. Farewell then my cleaner.
Farewell my rinser, my soaker, the spinner of my laundry.
For no miracles happen, as in this world
Dreams do not come true.*
(* With apologies to Pavel Antokolsky.)

Following on from last week's news that Hotpoint WMD960, our beloved washing machine, had developed an F10 fault, I'm sorry to bring you the very sad news that Hotpoint has gone to the great white goods store in the sky. It was found that the intermittent fault was not a problem with a sensor but a wider problem with the motherboard. The cost of parts and labour was likely to be almost as expensive as buying a replacement, and with the knowledge that Hotpoint had been part of this family for over ten years and was likely to develop further faults in the future, the tough decision was made to look for a new washing machine. Hotpoint was switched off on Monday, 27 October 2014, leaving not only a hole in our hearts, but also a hole in our utility room.

On Thursday I was in the worrying position of processing the first Bear Alley Books' order for 10 days. Things are really quiet just at a time when I need them to be lively. I'm hoping to have another book out next month and for that to happen I have to pay for the license up front, so the first few dozen sales don't make me any money whatsoever. I still need to sell quite a few more copies of Arena before I see a penny and although I'm confident that the book will eventually make a little bit of profit, I can't afford to have too much of my money tied up in fees.

I started Bear Alley Books in November 2010 and published the first two books in March 2011. Twenty-two titles books later, we're still crawling along where I had hoped we would be walking, if not running. All I can do is hope that some of you are going to be asking your partners—wives, girlfriends, husbands, boyfriends, parents or pets—for a Bear Alley Book for Christmas. Remember, it's not just a book... to me it means having clean socks and pants.

Random scans for today are a little group of books that I used for researching the introduction to Eagles Over the Western Front back in 2011. Those early days of wartime flying I find endlessly fascinating.

We have something about Mildred Violet Woodgate tomorrow and a Dan Simmons cover gallery for Sunday. Next week: monkeys. That's the plan, at least. Ook!

The spread of these issues makes me wonder whether the author was regularly working elsewhere and only writing for Commando when he had spare time to fill. Unfortunately, I've found no other credits for this author elsewhere, in or out of comics.

Indeed, Skentlebery is a very uncommon surname, with only a handful of people listed in official birth records for the UK and Wales since 1837. Of these, the only likely candidate is Francis Arnold Skentlebery, born in Cardiff in 1909. The more common spelling is Skentelbery [the middle 'le' becoming 'el'].

The alternate spelling opens up a number of possibilities and I offer here two.

Michael Leo Skentelbery, born in Cork on 6 November 1917, was the son of A. H. Skentelbery of Weaver Pt., Crosshaven, Cork, who became an Irish diplomat who worked for the Department of External Affairs, Dublin. He was the Secretary of an Irish Legation who travelled to New York in October 1946 and the Charge d'Affaires in Australia for some years in the 1950s (at least 1952-57).

Skentelbery was subsequently the Irish Ambassador to Argentina, the above photograph showing him presenting his credentials to the President, Sir Arturo U. Illia, on 16 April 1964. (A second photograph from the same event can be found here.)

He is subsequently mentioned in an anthology of rugby anecdotes (Roars from the Back of the Bus: Rugby Tales of Life with the Lions, ed. Stewart McKinney, Random House, 2012). According to Sean Lynch, he was introduced to Skentlebery during the Irish team's 1970 tour of Argentina:

On our arrival in Argentina, the Irish Ambassador, Mr Michael Leo Skentelbery, met us at Buenos Aires Airport. Now, I'm not the best with remembering names, especially after a 16-hour flight and a few in-flight beers with the lads. However, I did notice that the Ambassador had quite a shake and someone said he had Parkinson's disease.
In between all the mayhem of this tour, I made the biggest faux pas of my life. Two weeks after we had met the Ambassador we were invited to his flat for drinks and I had completely forgotten his name. While in conversation with him, making small talk I became befuddled and tongue-tied when I had to address him. I asked, 'How have you been, Mr... Parkinson?'
All the boys like Terry Moore and Phil O'Callaghan doubled up with laughter. He tried to ignore me but to make matters worse, delighted that I thought I had remembered his name, I pulled him by the sleeve and said, 'I'm talking to you, Mr. Parkinson. Would you listen?'
One of the lads advised me to abandon my line of conversation. When I discovered my gaffe, I was never more embarrassed in my life.

Could this be our author? It might explain his irregular appearances in the late 1960s if he was away on diplomatic duties. He was, at least, an author, as he is known to have written poetry—a verse entitled "He Sends Her a Present of Spring" appeared in The Bulletin vol. 76 no. 3957 (14 December 1955).

I can also offer an alternative: David George Skentelbery, born in October 1937, who has been a journalist and director with Orbit News Ltd. for many years. An online biography describes him as:

Warrington's most experienced journalist having worked in the town for 44 years.
Started his career on the Knutsford Guardian and also worked on the
Warrington Guardian before moving to the Lancashire Evening Post in
Wigan and Warrington. Also worked on national newspapers in Manchester,
including The Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Express.
Founded Orbit News in 1968. Born in Birmingham, grew up in the Knutsford
area. Son of former Manchester Evening News theatre critic Tom Wildern
Skentelbery. Hobbies include cricket and is an active member of
Glazebury Cricket Club. Former member of Knutsford and Lymm Oughtrington
Cricket Clubs. Part-time Birmingham City fan!

It would be no surprise to find a journalist in his twenties writing comics as a sideline as it was often a useful source of additional income. Given his online presence, I'm hopeful that David might be able to confirm or deny his authorship.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

One of the most prolific authors of war-related pocket libraries in the 1960s was R. P. Clegg, an author based in Chertsey, Surrey, who contributed to both Fleetway and D. C. Thomson. His earliest known work were Battler Britton and Spy 13 stories for Thriller Picture Library in 1958-59, although he may have been writing before that.

I know little about Clegg. I believe his full name was Roger Philip Clegg and that he was born in Erpingham, Norfolk, on 2 September 1906. He was living at 112 Old Park Ridings, Winchmore Hill, Enfield, in 1931. He was married to Brenda Margaret Noble Brown (1917- ) in 1941 and the two were living at 26 Downside Crescent, Hampstead (fl.1946) and 57 Chandos Avenue, Frienr Barnet N.20 (fl.1949-51) after the war before moving to Greenacres, Long Cross, Chertsey, Surrey (fl.1961-82).

Clegg was one of the earliest writers of war pocket libaries, his earliest, 'Tracy of Tobruk' appearing in February 1959 as War Picture Library #11, with art by Renzo Calegari. He began contributing to Air Ace Picture Library and Battle Picture Library as they appeared in 1960-61. He also began writing for Commando Library in 1963 and was able to write 50 issues of Commando, War and Battle between 1963 and 1968.

His last known work appeared in 1970—presumably he retired at 65, although it could equally be that he turned to writing elsewhere.

Clegg died in Bournemouth, Hampshire, in 1999, aged 93; he was survived by his wife who died in Poole, Dorset, in 2007, aged 89.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Martin Belderson is better known as a documentary film maker having made action-adventure, science and natural history documentary films for a wide range of British and international broadcasters including the BBC, The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, PBS, Canal+ & Yorkshire TV’s ‘First Tuesday’.

Born in London in 1961, and before getting bitten by the movie-making bug, Belderson had various jobs,
including panning for gold and other strategic minerals in Northern Britain (summer fieldwork for Regional Geological Reconnaissance Programme), as a door-to-door potato salesman, crewing
on the Greenpeace vessel ‘Rubicon’ and falling off mountains (unpaid).

As a stage technician, he crewed at Thames TV, the London Coliseum, the West Yorkshire Playhouse, festivals and on tours. He was also a grip, gaffer, 2nd assistant camera and clapper loader, working on pop promos, and short films for Film Four and Screen Two. He worked in Leeds and in Soho as an assistant film editor before finding work in 1987 as an assistant producer and researcher for the BBC's flagship science programme Horizon, working on 'Britannic Greenhouse' and 'Clive Sinclair: Portrait of an Inventor'.

He worked on 'Wildlife on One' for BBC1 and 'Nature' for BBC2, including filming mink in Britain, black snow in the Czech Republic and dolphins in the Mediterranean. He made a crucial investigative breakthrough for the Natural History Unit's Golden Panda Award-winning special 'The Global Detective' (BBC1), which led to the prosecution of an Italian fashion chain for buying CITES protected
caiman skins from violent traffickers in Paraguay and Brazil. Filmed
giant otters, hyacinth macaws, anacondas and caiman jacare in the Matto
Grosso.

In 1991 he devised 'Defenders of the Wild'—eight one-hour films about
endangered wildlife and the people who fight to protect it—for Channel Four/Discovery. The two series involved filming river dolphins in the Himalayas, tigers in Thailand, chasing
pirate whalers, Sicilians standing up to the Mafia and the illegal
wildlife trade in Brazil.

Worked on the '3D' current affairs magazine show for ITV and on the
acclaimed 'First Tuesday' documentary strand (ITV/Discovery).

Since 1994 he has worked as a Director-Producer-Cameraman on over thirty documentary films, of which he wrote twenty-four. He was the Series Producer of three major co-productions: ‘Bonington’s Secret
Mountain’ (YMPA/C4/Discovery), ‘UFO: Down to Earth’ (Discovery Networks)
and ‘O’Shea’s Dangerous Creatures’ (YTV/C4/Discovery).

"I have devised more than twenty hours of original television," he says. "My
documentary credits fall into three categories: science (including
'Rough Science' and 'Horizon: Crater of Death'); action-adventure (inc.
the Sports Emmy winning 'Rock Queen'); and natural history (including
'O'Shea's Dangerous Creatures' and the award-winning 'Defenders of the
Wild'). I have filmed on every
continent save Antarctica from mountaineering in Tibet with Sir Chris
Bonington to filming inside the Hot Zone of an Ebola outbreak in the
Congo.

Currently setting up a feature length documentary for cinematic
distribution: ‘The Death of the Dinosaurs’. It’s the story of the
asteroid impact that produced largest explosion on Earth in a quarter
billion years and the continuing controversy about its role in the
extinction of the dinosaurs.

As an author, Belderson contributed to New Scientist in 1986-88 and penned an issue of Commando in 2003. He has since published a dark comedy thriller, Big Cat (Aeolian Press, Apr 2013), under the pen-name Jack Churchill. A second novel, Dinosaur Claw, is due in 2014. Belderson has also written a non-fiction book about the art of the documentary interview, Read Before Filming (2014).

Monday, October 27, 2014

Amongst the latest quartet of Commando issues is a reprint of a story credited to Mepham. I don't recognise Mepham as an author of any other comics but I wonder if he might be Clement Roderick Mepham, who wrote With the Eighth Army in Italy (Stockwell, 1951).

I believe Clement Roderick Mepham was born in Hastings, E. Sussex, in 1919, the son of Herbert James Mepham (1888-1952) and his wife Ethel Kate (nee Ransom, 1884-1958). He was the second of three children, his siblings including Phyllis J. (1914), and Ethel A. M. (1922).

I know nothing of his career but he later lived in Margate, Kent.

Whether he was the author behind the recent Commando release "Colonel Scarface" is uncertain—I base my guess solely on the fact that he is known to have written a book about the war. Mepham is credited with only two stories for Commando, one published in 1964 and the other four years later in 1968.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

One of the latest releases from Commando Library was a reprint of a tale by R. A. Montague, a long-time contributor to the series. He receives a mention in George Low's history of the pocket library who mentions him as "a prolific contributor to Commando, working from his base in Diss, Norfolk. He had experience of being in the R.A.F. during the war and then serving with the colonial police after the hostilities. That gave him plenty of experience to call on, and he used it well with a fine spread of air, sea and ground stories. He was certainly a force to be reckoned with."

Montague was the writer of two rather odd issues of Commando. "Fly to Glory" (768) and "The Pharaoh" (781) were written and drawn in Spain by Castello Lucas and offered complete to D. C. Thomson editor Chick Checkley, who had Montague rescript the two stories for British publication.

Montague also contributed 8-page filler stories to Battle Picture Library reprints 1970-71 and at least one full-length story (Honour Bound, BPL 721, June 1973), but his main output was for Commando where he was penning two stories a month by the mid-1970s through to the early 1980s. In the mid-1980s his output had halved but he continued to be a regular, steady contributor until his last appearance with At Ground Level, issue 2456, published in March 1991.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Reprinted for the first time: a classic story of one man's fight against

government oppression in the gladiatorial arenas of the near future."With reality TV overload and the rise of the risque and the brutality of
today’s society, this story ... is more
relevant today than it was in 1979." - Colin Noble, Down the Tubes

I don't have a huge amount to report about my week. Steady progress was made on the next book from Bear Alley Books and I should have a title for you shortly. I had hoped to have the artwork side completed, but I found I was putting some extra time into bringing the pages up to scratch. Working "off the page" rather than from original artwork can easily double the time it takes to put a book together, especially when those pages may not have survived the years very well.

I've also had some distractions that have sidelined me in various ways. One was a curious problem with the washing machine which started acting up at the weekend, switching off unexpectedly and flashing a fault code message. Looking it up online revealed that it related to a sensor and the water levels. I spent a good half hour trying to get through to a human being at various companies advertising in our local Thomsons to talk about the fault.

The first number turned out to be a call centre where I was put on hold while a recorded voice interrupted the soothing music every now and then to tell me how important my call was. I hung up because it clearly wasn't important enough to the company to have someone actually answer. After a selection of other call centres, answerphones and engaged signals, I finally got through to a human voice; he talked me through prices and we booked an appointment for Wednesday morning.

Come the day, he turned up on time and got the job done, which is what you want out of an engineer. It seems to be working OK again (I'll reserve judgement until my smalls are safely on the washing line!). TEN MINUTES LATER: No, the same problem occurred half-way through the wash; it seems to be intermittent, so the washing machine is going to be visiting the engineer's workshop for more tests.

The other distraction was self-imposed. I picked up a copy of The Art of Sean Phillips, whose work I've admired since his first contributions to Crisis. I followed his career as it took him to the USA for Hellblazer and Kid Eternity, lost track of him in the late 1990s when he was going superheroes but spotted him again when he began collaborating with Ed Brubaker—Sleeper, Criminal, Incognito and Fatale are some of the only US comics I've read in the past decade.

Reading the book, I'd forgotten that Sean was also the inker on Scene of the Crime, which was the 4-issue series that reminded me how good comics could be; I'd been falling out of love with them for quite some time and was buying almost nothing. I picked up Scene of the Crime #1 because it looked interesting and it turned out to be the best crime series I'd read in years—probably since the demise of Sandman Mystery Theatre.

The Art of Sean Phillips takes the story way back to Sean's early work in girls' comics like Nikki and Judy, inking for Ken Houghton, and covers in great depth his development as an artist in the pages of Crisis, 2000AD, Judge Dredd Megazine and various specials and yearbooks.

Author Eddie Robson narrates the story through interviews with Sean and dozens of writers, editors and fellow artists, weaving together the story of Sean's varied career in the UK and US comics scene. The books is filled with fantastic artwork, some previously unpublished, much from original artwork.

The book was published in late 2013, so it's pretty well up to date with Sean's later ongoing work (Fatale), and I'm pleased to see on Sean's website that—as promised in the book—that he and Ed Brubaker have returned to Criminal to tell more tales. In the meantime, I can recommend The Art of Sean Phillips while you're waiting for the next series if you don't already have a copy. The price (expensive when it first came out) has started to drop a little for us folk whose pockets aren't so deep.

Random scans... were going to be something else, but I'm so caught up in Sean's work I dug out the following cover images for you.

Criminal: Last of the Innocent was the sixth in the series of Criminal story arcs, collected in 2011. Here are the covers to the four individuals plus the original artwork for the collected graphic novel.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Commando No 4751 – Saxon Eagles
The 9th Century AD was a turbulent, violent time. Anglo-Saxon Britons had to fend off constant attacks from marauding and blood-thirsty Scandinavian warriors — the much-feared Vikings.
Young Cadric was a Saxon — brave and willing to fight to defend his village from Viking hordes. As he did so, though, he had to face an equally deadly, but more sinister, enemy from closer to home.

Story: Ferg Handley
Art: John Ridgway
Cover: John Ridgway

Commando No 4752 – Colonel Scarface
All occupied France went in fear and trembling of him — ruthless SS Colonel Ludwig Bauer — a monster in the guise of a man.
But one day Bauer went too far with a young Commando lieutenant, Rick Matthews. And Rick stayed behind after a raid in France to teach Colonel Scarface, step by blood-stained step, what it was to be afraid…

Introduction
Despite what Ken Barr’s magnificently menacing cover might make you think, this story isn’t all about the nefarious Colonel Scarface. It’s more the story of Lieutenant Rick Matthews, Commando. What’s more, it’s also a French Resistance story, a type that’s very difficult to make successful as there’s often not a lot of action to play with. The script neatly avoids tense, cliff-hanging moments by being filled with the crash and thunder of battle. All very well drafted by Gonzales.
Lastly, watch out for the comedy moment on page 55. You have been warned.—Calum Laird, Commando Editor

Commando No 4753 – Royle’s Marines
After firmly putting a bully in his place with a well-aimed punch, young Thomas Markham knew he had to make himself difficult to find. He was helped by Sergeant Ned Royle who suggested joining the Royal Marines and losing himself there.
While he was now out of plain sight, young Thomas was not out of danger for he was shipped off to fight in the Crimean War. There his mettle would be tested in the heat of battle as one of…
ROYLE’S MARINES

Introduction
2014 is a truly momentous year for the Royal Marines as on the 28th October we mark our 350th birthday, completing three and a half centuries of unbroken service, committed, as an integral part of the Naval Service, to protecting and promoting the United Kingdom’s security, prosperity and reputation, both and home and overseas; truly 350 years of Timeless Distinction.

Formed in 1664 as the Duke of York and Albany’s Maritime Regiment of Foot, the Royal Marines, the modern Royal Navy’s “go anywhere force”, have evolved into the United Kingdom’s commando forces, held at high readiness and trained to operate anywhere in the World and carry out the full spectrum of operations, be that peacekeeping, disaster relief, military training/advisory teams, specialist amphibious operations and high intensity combat.

Now, whilst the stories contained in the Commando Comics are obviously fiction, there are numerous common values shared between the characters, the Corps today, and our illustrious forebears who have served the Corps and the Crown so well since 1664. The Royal Marines Ethos is based on characteristics of courage, determination, cheerfulness in adversity and selflessness and they have stayed true throughout our 350 year history and have enabled the Royal Marines to be involved in virtually every one of the United Kingdom’s conflicts, and notably to have seen active service every year since the outbreak of World War II to the present day, with the sole exception of 1968.

Today’s Royal Marines remain at the forefront of the United Kingdom’s crisis response force and are a key component of the Government’s conflict prevention agenda. Through our World-renowned brand of understated professionalism we hope to remain there for another 350 years and more.

Lieutenant Colonel Cliff Dare MBE RM

Story: George Low
Art: Benet
Cover: Benet

Commando No 4754 – Night Of Fear
Transylvania — an eerie land of legends, of werewolves and vampires, of hauntings and spine-chilling screams in the dark.
Not the most welcoming place in the world to crash-land in at dead of night — especially when your Mosquito has been damaged, not by Nazi flak…but by a swarm of thousands of large, black bats!

Introduction
Just imagine…
A spooky castle in darkest Transylvania —
The sinister Count who dwells there —
Waited on a by creepy assistant —
Swarms of large bats flying out of nowhere —
Night of Fear may not be the most subtle Commando ever published — but it is certainly a hugely entertaining one. The influences on the plot — Hollywood vampire movies and American horror comics — are actually acknowledged in the text, so, nearly 40 years on this remains a fiendishly fun read.
So, trick or treat?
In my humble opinion, this is definitely a treat. Happy Halloween!—Scott Montgomery, Deputy Editor

Arrow Books
271 Paddy - The Next Best Thing by Gertrude Page (Sep 1952)
302J Air Surgeon by Frank G. Slaughter (2nd imp., 1958)
376H Mist Over Pendle by Robert Neill (2nd imp., 1962)
417 Exploration Fawcett by Lt.-Col. P. H. Fawcett (2nd imp., 1963)
479 Horn of the Hunter by Robert C. Ruark (2nd imp., 1963)
508 The Count of Grammercy Park by Robert Hayden Alcorn (Aug 1958)
526 That None Should Die by Frank G. Slaughter (1959)
538 Spencer Brade, M.D. by Frank G. Slaughter (Dec 1959)
630 The Jewel of the Seven Stars by Bram Stoker (1962)
644 The Lady of the Shroud by Bram Stoker (1962)
696 Death in the Rising Sun by John Creasey (1963)
699 Sons of Satan by John Creasey (1963)
717 The League of Light by John Creasey (1963)
718 The Man Who Shook the World by John Creasey (1963)
724 Interrupted Journey by James Wilson (1963?)
733 The Wings of Peace by John Creasey (1964)
734 Shadow of Doom by John Creasey (1964)
756 Dragon's Wine by Borden Deal (1964)
807 The Taking Men by Anne Hepple (1965)
816 Evening at the Farm by Anne Hepple (1965)

BEAR ALLEY BOOKS

AVAILABLE NOW!Forgotten Authors Vol.1Click here for details and payment options"This is utterly fascinating: what a terrific accomplishment! It has held and engaged me. Authors who are only names have been documented and recorded, from the pathetic to the successful, and everywhere in between. This is incredible research, and I cannot begin to thank you enough for sharing it. I’m dipping into it with absolutely enormous pleasure."—Richard Bleiler"Recommended for anyone with an interest in the history of books, book publishing, obscure authors or even researching family history. Looking forward to Volume 2"—Amazon review.

AVAILABLE NOW!The Men Behind Flying Saucer ReviewClick here for details and payment options"Beginning in 1955, the Flying Saucer Review has been key to chronicling the appearance of Unidentified Flying Objects and the latest theories of why they have been appearing in our skies. A dedicated group of enthusiasts - amongst them an accountant, a publisher's editor, a test pilot, a novelist and a member of the House of Lords - were amongst those who helped put together this remarkable magazine. Who they were and how they came to work together makes for a fascinating tale, some of it as curious as the phenomena the magazine studied."

AVAILABLE NOW!Countdown to TV ActionClick here for details and payment options."The perfect compliment to my set of Countdown/TV Action" - Graham Bleathman."A wonderful trip down memory lane. Recommended" - Paul Simpson, Sci-Fi Bulletin"If you read Countdown as a child, you'll be fascinated by this account of its making ... indispensable." - John Freeman, Down the Tubes"The definitive history of the title" - Lew Stringer, Blimey!"I urge you to grab a copy and give Steve Holland a tip of the hat for the amount of hard work, research and love he's poured into making a book of information become an interesting story" - Barnaby Eaton-Jones, The Cult Den

Lion King of Picture Story PapersClick here to order"It's a great read in itself and has sent me back to the Lion comic to re-read some of my childhood favourites. The pictures are reproduced crystal clearly and even this old man can read the original art ... It's a gorgeous book and if we are snow-bound as the media has been saying for weeks, I have plenty to keep me amused this chilly January weekend!" - Norman Boyd.

Sexton Blake Annual 1941Click here to order"If you've been meaning to give Sexton Blake's adventures a try, this would be a great place to start. I've seen the actual annuals go on Ebay for three or four hundred bucks, so this is definitely a bargain too." - Singular Points.

Peter Jackson's London Is Stranger Than FictionClick here to order"The original books have been highly collectable for many years now, but finally they’ve been republished in a single volume from Bear Alley Books ... for the ridiculously reasonable price of £14.99. Do yourself a favour. " Christopher Fowler.

OUT OF PRINT!ArenaClick here for details and payment options"This book goes straight to the top of my large reading pile" - Graeme Neil Reid"With reality TV overload and the rise of the risque and the brutality of today’s society, this story still has a pertinent message for those of us who are willing to listen to it. In fact, I think the story is more relevant today than it was in 1979." - Colin Noble, Down the Tubes"The story is a fun read, but the star of the show is the art. Alcatena is a class act." - Hibernia Comics